A single to Knight to begin the over.

Sciver-Brunt then plays confidently to mid on for no run.

Two more singles then a dot ball.

Knight sweeps for a run on the last ball of the over.

Heather Knight pushes to the off-side, scampers out of her crease but a loud call of no sends her back.

A glorious cover drive only yields Knight a single as the sweeper collects on the boundary.

Another dot ball.

A play and a miss! Wide from Brown, Sciver-Brunt wafted her bat horizontally.

More solid from Brunt. Defended on the back foot.

APPEAL: Sciver-Brunt is beaten and the ball thunders into the pad. The decision is not out and Healy sends it upstairs.

NOT-OUT: Umpires call. Close call for the England’s talisman.

A single from Heather Knight first up brings up her 4000th ODI run.

A dot, a single, then two dots in a row.

Knight pushes the last ball of the over into the onside for another single.

The express Darcie Brown is in to the attack for the first time.

Her first ball is a wide down the leg side.

The second is pushed onto the on side for a single by Heather Knight.

Another single through the on side, this time behind square from the indomitable Nat Sciver-Brut.

Two defensive shots yield no runs.

Sciver-Brut cuts the ball past a diving point for another single before Knight defends the last ball of the over.

A pretty tidy start from Brown.

Some spin for the first time today, via the leg breaks of King.

Sciver-Brunt pushes off the back foot through cover for a single, before Knight does the exact same thing.

SIX OF THEM! First six of the series and it’s a wonderful shot from Sciver-Brunt. So well balanced as she whacked that over long on.

A tidy over from King, but still eight off it.

That’s drinks too. Henry Hanson will take you through the next lot of overs.

Nat Sciver-Brunt is the new batter in. The task gets no easier for Australia.

And she’s off the mark straight away via an inside edge to square leg.

FOUR RUNS! Late swing from Sutherland but Knight worked it very fine. Brown put a despairing dive in but couldn’t reel this one in.

A good Sutherland over ends.

One out of the blue really, Tammy Beaumont had been looking so settled and secure. She went for the big shot over Sutherland’s head but got none of it, shanking a simple catch to Garth at mid-on.

A good knock, but a missed opportunity for Beaumont.

Knight drops and runs to point to bring up the 50 partnership between these two. At a pretty good click too.

G’day Hugo,

ODI stands for ‘One Day International’ and is the format being played today at North Sydney Oval.

Batting first, England has 50 overs to make as many runs as they can.

Australia will then have the same number of overs to reach the target set for them.

A quick single nearly brought Perry into the game, and they will go upstairs to check the run out anyway. A direct hit might have been close, but Healy had to gather and break the stumps. Not out.

FIVE WIDES! I think Beaumont actually hit that, or at least was hit on the thigh. The umpire didn’t spot the deflection though and it’s given as wides as it runs down to the boundary.

Another wide. This one ends up in first slip’s hands. Perhaps one over too many for Garth.

Slashed down to third by Beaumont, over gully but short of the deep fielder. One run.

A looser over from Garth, but a wonderful finish to it. She beats the outside edge and smacks into Healy’s gloves up to the stumps.

Very tight indeed, NeilA.

And only the eighth of her ODI career.

We’ll put the first set down as a warm-up over.

A wide down the leg side suggests that might be wishful thinking.

Two more for Knight through another tidy square drive.

Clipped off the toes from Knight now, just for a single.

A leg bye brings up England’s 50. Been a good start for the batting side all told.

One more out to the off side sweeper from Knight and that will be the over bowled.

Kim Garth takes the first wicket of Ashes 2025 in glorious sunshine at North Sydney Oval.

It’s her 51st ODI wicket and Maia Bouchier is out for nine.

Into her fifth over now, Kim Garth.

Beaumont is on the charge now trying to disrupt Garth’s length. It’s not working, and the bowler is outsmarting the batter with good adjustments. Another one beats the bat.

SHOT! Beaumont decides to get after it, slashing the last ball of the over up and over cover for four. Risky shot, but a good one too.

Just the boundary from the over,

Our first glimpse of Australia’s newest and perhaps brightest star. Few cricketers in the world have had a better 18 months than Sutherland. She gets a crack with a relatively new ball.

It’s a beamer! Sheesh! That one slipped out of Sutherland’s hand and was coming through at Beaumont’s head height. An easy no ball called, a first strike for Sutherland and some smiles between the players.

FOUR RUNS! Knight gets a look at the free hit and creams it through point off the front foot. Classy shot.

Knight whips one down to fine leg and thinks she’s earned four, only for Darcie Brown to put in a wonderful dive and stop on the rope. She keeps it to two.

Eight runs and a head-high full toss from Sutherland’s first over. Probably not her best.

Beaumont clips one neatly off her pads and takes the single on offer.

Knight is lured into the big cover drive again, but Garth sneaks past the outside edge once more.

Garth possibly flagging a little now, letting that one slip will down the leg side for another wide.

Knight absolutely crunches the first ball back down the ground, but Garth does very well to get down and save the boundary. Tight stuff early at NSO.

Interesting to see how many Schutt bowls in this first spell. The ball is still swinging dramatically for her so Healy may want to give her every chance.

FOUR! But the straight ones will still get put away. Short and wide, Beaumont cut that with purpose.

Beaumont pulls down to deep square leg for one more. Beaumont looks settled.

FOUR MORE! Glorious square drive from Knight. It was a half-volley from Schutt but was wonderfully put away all the same.

Good comeback from Schutt. Better length, and a little bit of pace taken off it. It beats Knight’s outside edge.

Nine runs from that over, Schutt leaking a little bit of oil now.

A loose one to start the over, and justifiably called a wide outside the off stump.

EDGED FOR FOUR! Knight chased the wide one and got a thick outside edge, but found the gap between slip and gully.

That close call for Knight has put her back in her shell a little bit. She nibbles at the last ball of the over but gets away with it.

Excellent contest from that end.

Beaumont takes strike and a quick single to mid-off. Heather Knight is the new batter, and the skipper will get an early look at Schutt.

Healy straight up to the stumps with Knight at the crease.

SHOT! Short, wide, hammered through point by Knight. Ominous signs from the England star.

Knight gets a big inside edge onto her pad, but it pops safely away to square leg for a single to end the over.

Six from it.